Shoe-fastener.



N0- 803,489. PATENTED OCT. 31, 1905. A. A. JOHNSON.

SHOE PASTENER.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.27. 1905.

UNITED STATES PATENT- oFFIoE.

SHOE-FASTENER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 3 l, 1905.

Application filed arch 27, 1905. Serial No. 252,

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that 1, ANDREW A. JOHNSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Ohicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Shoe-Fasteners, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in a fastening device, and while it is more especially intended to be used as a shoe-fastener instead of employing buttons or laces, yet it is applicable as a fastener for other articles, such as gloves, leggings, and the like; and it consists in certain peculiarities of the construction, novel arrangement, and operation of the various parts thereof, as will be hereinafter more fully set forth and specifically claimed.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a new and improved fastener for shoes and the like which shall be simple and ineX pensive in construction, strong, durable, and efl ective in operation, and so made that it can be readily attached to the lapel of a shoe or to one portion of any article the parts of which it is desired to fasten together.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be disclosed in the subjoined description and explanation.

In order to enable others skilled in the art to which my invention pertains to make and use the same, I'will now proceed to describe it, referring to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of a portion of a shoe, showing a number of fasteners embodying one form of my invention applied thereto and illustrating the lapel of the shoe as being attached thereby to the flap or fly. Fig. 2 is an enlarged detached perspective view of the fastener. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the main plate thereof as it appears before having its parts formed to engage the lapel and to receive the engaging lever. Fig. 4 is a plan view of the blank out of which the engaging lever is formed. Fig. 5 is a similar view of the complete fastener. Fig. 6 is a front end view thereof. Fig. 7 is a longitudinal sectional View taken on line 77 of Fig. 5 looking in the direction indicatedby the arrows. Fig. 8 is an edge view, partly in section, showing the fastener attached to the lapel of the shoe and illustrating the device by continuous lines in its fastened position and by dotted lines in the act of drawing the lapel and flap together. Fig. 9 is a plan view of a fastener embodying a modification. Fig. 10 is an edge view thereof. Fig. 11 is a front end view of the same, and Fig. 12 is a plan view of the blank out of which the plate of the modified form is made.

Like numerals of reference refer to corresponding parts throughout the different views of the drawings. v

The reference-numeral 15 indicates the main plate of the fastener, which may be made of any suitable size, form, and material, but is substantially rectangular in shape and has a rectangular opening 16 for the reception and operation of the engaging lever 17, which has on each of its edges, near its rear end, a downturned apertured lug 18, which are secured, by means of a pin 18*, to the downturned lugs 19 on the inner edges of the plate 15 near the rear end of the opening 16 therein. The rear portion of the plate 15 is usually provided with an extension 20, having on its free end a clenching-prong 21 to engage the lapel 22 of the shoe. At its rear portion the plate 15 is provided on each of its corners with a clenching-prong 23 to engage the lapel 22 or a portion of the article to which the fastener is attached. As is clearly shown in Figs. 7 and 8 of the drawings, the rear portion of the lever 20 is downturned and then bent rearwardly and formed at its end with a hook 24 to engage a staple 25 or other suitable fastening device attached to the fly or flap 22 of the shoe. The front portion of the clamping member or engaging lever 17 is bent upwardly and then downwardly, as shown in the lastnamed figures of the drawings, and has on its free end a hook or flange 26 to engage the transverse portion of the front part of the plate 15, so as to lock the lever in its retaining position. By reference to Figs. 4 and 6 it will be seen that the member 17 is provided with two longitudinal and parallel slots 27, thus forming a tongue 28, on the free end of which the flange or hook 26 is located. The front portion of the member 17 is also formed at each of its sides with a slot 29, which extends from the outer edges of the member 17 to the slots 27, thus liberating the tongue 28 from the sides of the member 17 or engaging lever. By thus slotting the front portion of said member and by bending its front portion as shown in Figs. 7 and 8 it is apparent that the tongue 28 will constitute a spring the flange 26 on the lower end of which will engage the front transverse portion of the plate 15, so as to hold the lever in its lowered position; but when it is desired to raise the same, so as to unfasten the shoe or to remove the hook 2 1 from the catch 25, the tongue 28 may be pressed rearwardly, thus disengaging the hook 26 from the front portionof the plate 15, when the lever may be turned to the position indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 8. so as to engage the catch on the fly 22 of the shoe by means of the hook 24:. Coiled around the pivot-pin 18 is a spring 30, one end of which engages the plate 15 and the other end thereof rests against the lower surface of the front portion of the engaging lever.

In Figs. 9 to 12, inclusive, I have shown a modification in the construction of the fastener, which consists in providing the main plate 15 with a forward extension 31, which is bent downwardly and then upwardly, as is clearly shown in Fig.10 of the drawings. This extension is provided at its free end with an opening 32 to receive a projection 33 on the front end of the engaging lever 17 which is of the same construction as the lever 17, above described, except that it does not have the bent front portion and yielding tongue. but is flat and straight. As shown in Figs. 9 and 12, the forward extension 31 is provided with two longitudinal slots 34, thus forming prongs on each side of the apertured portion 31,which prongs are also bent upwardly, so as to about conform to the bend of the portion 31. In this modification the lever 17 may be actuated by a spring 30, arranged as in the former construction, and the main plate 15 is provided with clenching-prongs 21 and 23 for the purpose of engaging the lapel of the shoe, as in the other construction. To release the lever 17 it is only necessary to press the upper end of the spring 31 outwardly, which will release it from the projection 33 on the end of the lever 17 when the same may be raised so that the hook 2 1 on the lower end thereof may engage the catch 22 on the fly or flap of the shoe, when by pressing the front portion of the lever 17 forwardly and downwardly to engage the spring 31 the portions of the shoe will be drawn together and firmly held in said position.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A fastening comprising an apertured main plate having attaching means and an engaging lever pivotally secured between the sides of the opening in the main plate and having its rear portion bent downwardly and rearwardly and provided on its free end with a hook to engage a catch, the front portion of said lever being formed to detachably engage the front portion of the main plate, substantially as described.

2. A fastening consisting of an apertured main plate having downturned clenchingprongs and a spring-actuated engaging lever pivotally secured between the sides of the opening in the main plate and having its rear portion bent downwardly and rearwardly and provided on its free end with a hook to engage a catch, the front portion of said lever being formed to detachably engage the front portion of the main plate, substantially as described.

3. A fastening consisting of an apertured main plate having engaging means, and an engaging lever fulcrumed in the opening of the main plate and having its rear portion bent downwardly and rearwardly and provided on its rear end with a hook to engage a catch, the front'portion of said lever having longitudinal and transverse slots to form an independently-movable tongue, the said tongue having on its free end means to engage the front portion of the main plate, said tongue and front portion of said lever being bent upwardly and then downwardly, substantially as described.

1 ANDREW A. JOHNSON.

Witnesses:

CHAS. (J. TILLMAN, A. GUsTAFsoN. 

